Air Fare Question - Do you Do It or Let the Cruise Lines do it?

[gooselover]

I'm new to this board and I love it! We are booked on our second cruise with RCL, our first being with Carnival. We went all out this time, booking an OS on the Mariner.

 

My question is, do you usually book your OWN air fare or let the cruise line do it? I am finding that airfare is slightly less if you do it yourself then when your have the cruise lines do it, however, on our first cruise, we were late to the airport and Carnival fixed it immediately since we booked air with them. With this in mind, I can certainly understand the advantages of booking with the cruise lines.

 

What is your choice and why? Thanks!!!

[mazda]

We always book our own airfare, for the cheaper prices. We fly in the day before the ship leaves, in case there are any issues, and we like to be well rested or ready for the big cruise!! We stay the day after a cruise, so when leaving the ship its not such a big letdown --- knowing you still have one more vacation day!

[kingsgirl]

I haven't personally booked with them, but my friend who is getting married in a month has chosen to go through RCI for airfare and I think that it has saved a lot of worry. While their flights are more expensive, they allow you to fly in the day you leave and fly out the day you return. This is great if you're looking just to cruise and not stay around in the port city at all (She will be in Puerto Rico and didn't feel comfortable staying there) and hence you save money too without needing that hotel before/after and the cab fare to the dock. Plus, there is the added bonus that the cruise ship will wait for you if your plane is late!

 

It just depends on if you want to hang around before and after the cruise or if you're just going for the cruise itself. I hope this helps!

 

Happy Cruising

[Bruin Steve]

There are pluses and minuses on both sides...

 

Sometimes I book my own, other times I use the ship's air...

 

Here are the basics:

First, if I have a lot of frequent flier mileage, I'll typically book my own and use that---it's a no-brainer...

 

Other than that, know that you may or may not save money booking your own...Since the ship usually has a flat standard rate, a lot depends on where you are flying from, what time of year and other factors...

 

When comparing rates, you also have to take more into consideration than the first-glance dollar amount: Taxes? Ticketing charges? Airport and security fees? Make sure you are talking "apples and apples". Also figure in that the cruise air typically includes your ground transportation--airport to ship, ship to airport--which can be quite costly in some ports...

 

The other thing to consider is that you may, when buying your own, be purchasing a restricted fare...and needing to ticket it considerably in advance...The cruise air, meanwhile, is added to the price of your cruise...and, should you end up not taking the cruise for whatever reason, can be cancelled with no penalty up to final payment date.

 

A good strategy to use is to book your cruise WITH the offered airfare...and keep searching for better deals...You can always cancel the air portion up to the final payment and keep the "cruise only"...

 

As to flying in ahead of time, I agree this is the preferred way to do this...But, you can do it with cruise air as well...in one of two ways:

1) Book your hotel through the cruise line...Some cruise lines' hotel deals are unreasonably high priced (Oceania)...but with others, we've found the deal still makes ample sense...and remember, when you do air and hotel through the cruise line, they will get you from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship...and they will typically check you in for the ship while at the hotel...

2) Use what is called a "deviation"...There is typically a charge for this but some lines waive the charge for repeat customers. The line still books your flights and charges you, but you can "call" your dates or even your specific flights (though there may be an additional charge if you've chosen flights that cost more for some reason). Often, you'll find this route still makes sense...

 

Sometimes, people are not happy with cruise line air since they don't let you know what flights you are on until after final payment...and there is a fear they'll put you on bad flights (inconvenient times or stops and plane changes)...I have had one or two of those, but I've also been assigned some excellent flights--ones where I could not have done any better finding them myself.

 

I also believe that unless you are saving a substantial amount of money, it is preferable to let the cruise lines handle the air...Nowadays, so many flights are delayed, connections are missed, etc....If you book your own and miss the ship, you are on your own...If you went through the cruise line, THEY will get you to the ship...They've even been known to delay the sailaway if a flight with a large number of their passengers that they've booked is arriving late...

 

And there is something to be said about the convenience of having cruise line personnel meet you at the airport and help get you to the ship...

 

Of course, still, to some people, there is a delight in "saving" a few dollars...

 

Good luck...

[greencruiser1]

Plus, there is the added bonus that the cruise ship will wait for you if your plane is late!

 

Trust me, no matter if you book on your own or thru the cruise line, they will not hold the ship if your flight is delayed......I know thru experience.

 

The added plus for booking thru the cruise line is that if you ARE late in arriving and miss the ship, they make arrangements for your lodging and air accomodations to meet up with the ship at the first port they can accomodate you at (does not include private island). Booking on your own, all that is your responsibility. When we booked our cruise, we compared pricing and booking thru the cruise line was actually a bit cheaper as they have a pricing deal with the airlines.

[scubapuss]

I have always booked my own. I saved $800 on 4 of us. also I only book non stop. you have no controll with the cruise air.

[IBookHePays]

I always book our air myself. I agree with previous posters that it's cheaper, and you can get the time and nonstop flights you want. We also arrive the day before the cruise, just in case (and to start the vacation that much sooner!):) :D

[DayDreamer2]

We've been on three cruises going on a 4th cruise in December. We booked our air through the cruise line for each. One year we were in between snow storms :eek: when we were supposed to fly out of New York going to San Juan (1st week in December). Our flight was canceled (no planes coming in or going out prior to day of our flight...) and I was able to call the airline and change our flight to a plane that was already at the airport. We told the airline that we had booked through RCCL. I think mentioning that the flight was booked through RCCL had enabled us to get those seats.

 

Later that evening I got a call from RCCL (who was not aware that we got seats on this other plane) telling us about the available flight and that they had gotten seats for us on the flight. ( I did call RCCL about the situation the day befor the flight to let them know of the situation) I was impressed that RCCL actually took the time to get us a seats on this flight that looked like it was going to get out of New York. (It was a small jet)

 

So we book through the cruise line even if it's a little more. As you can see we have not learned our lesson as we took a cruise first week in December last year and are doing that again this year. Hopefully no snow!!:p

[AFT_LOVER]

after being bumped from our CLE-OGG last February when Delta changed planes from a 737 to an 80 seater. We used 70K DL SM March 2005 to book for Feb 2006 flight. So we called NYC AMEX & complained, they got us on a plane to OGG. But we were 7 hours late to get our ental car which was given away & we get a small car not a mid size but it cost us $35 for the week.

 

So using air miles anymore isn't good since they can bump you & you are stuck. So we let RCCL air book us for interntional since DL SM waitlists you stating "paying customers get the seats". In 2005 RCCL rebooked us then their Delta flights was cancelled with a snow storm coming to CLE but it never made it. Airport wasn't closed. We had no flight but RCCL had us rebooked on CO. And I am learning that our 6/18 Norweigan Fjords cruise, eventho we are off the ship at 6:30AM for Diamond/Plus members & the bus does its 3 hour ride to Gatwick. Delta flies 10:30AM NWA 11:30AM CO 12:30PM & we won't make any of them. So RCCL is putting us up in a hotel at Gatwick & we fly next day on CO NONSTOP!!!!

[AFT_LOVER]

after being bumped from our CLE-OGG last February when Delta changed planes from a 737 to an 80 seater. We used 70K DL SM March 2005 to book for Feb 2006 flight. So we called NYC AMEX & complained, they got us on a plane to OGG. But we were 7 hours late to get our ental car which was given away & we get a small car not a mid size but it cost us $35 for the week.

 

So using air miles anymore isn't good since they can bump you & you are stuck. So we let RCCL air book us for interntional since DL SM waitlists you stating "paying customers get the seats". In 2005 RCCL rebooked us then their Delta flights was cancelled with a snow storm coming to CLE but it never made it. Airport wasn't closed. We had no flight but RCCL had us rebooked on CO. And I am learning that our 6/18 Norweigan Fjords cruise, eventho we are off the ship at 6:30AM for Diamond/Plus members & the bus does its 3 hour ride to Gatwick. Delta flies 10:30AM NWA 11:30AM CO 12:30PM & we won't make any of them. So RCCL is putting us up in a hotel at Gatwick & we fly next day on CO NONSTOP!!!!

[FunCruiser56]

We always book our own airfare. Usually cheaper, plus we want to have control over our flight times.

On all our cruises we go at least 1 day prior to the cruise, get a good nights sleep and wake up to the sight of the ship waiting for us in port.

 

Bev

[suzy671]

We always do our own, after 55 cruises.

[negc]

We always do our own, after 55 cruises.

 

Then sometimes you may have paid more than you had to. :( There is no answer that is "always" right to this question. It depends on a lot of factors and in some cases the cruiseline airfare can actually be cheaper, especially if you factor in the cost of transfers between the airport and the ship and return. (This is frequently true when you sail from one port but return home from another, or when you only require airfare oneway.) What you really should do is investigate all your options before deciding the best way to book. You should not believe that by booking through the cruiseline you are guaranteed that they will hold the ship if your flight is delayed. A lot of things have to be taken into consideration when they decide whether or not to delay a sailing and sometimes it is just not practicable or possible.

With air deviation or custom air, you do not have to give up control of your flight times, airline choice etc. and if you achieve a certain level of membership in your cruiseline's loyalty program, the custom air fee may be waived. Check out all your options, then decide how to book.:)

[wrp96]

I always book our air myself. I agree with previous posters that it's cheaper, and you can get the time and nonstop flights you want. We also arrive the day before the cruise, just in case (and to start the vacation that much sooner!):) :D

 

It depends on where you live whether or not it's cheaper to book on your own. Of my 7 cruises Cruise Air has been less expensive 6 of the 7 times, and that's with doing custom air where I got to choose my own flights.

 

Bruin Steve's advice was exactly right. Do your research. I know a lot of people assume that cruise air is more expensive and inconvenient but it all depends: on where you live, when you are traveling, where you are sailing from, etc.

[a bug]

Where you live is another factor. We would have to drive 100 miles to get to an airport the cruise line will fly us out of. DS has to drive 300 miles to an airport--and then the cruise line is charging $200 MORE than if he were to book airfare out of that airport himself! It winds up to be the same price as if he were to fly out of a "local" airport, a mere 30 miles away!

[zuscruiserz]

We are using cruise air from our local airport on our next cruise because they are giving us 2 free hotel rooms (we have 2 rooms booked on the Freedom) and transfers to/from the airport/hotel. This totals approx. the same as what airlines are currently charging (perhaps a bit less), and we would still have to pay for a hotel the night before (flying cross-country) and taxi's.

 

So, do your research, and keep checking airline prices. You can always cancel cruise air before final payment.

[Bruin Steve]

Actually, though by no means guaranteed, it is fairly likely the ship will wait for your late arriving plane booked through the cruise line...and there is good logic as to why...

 

The nature of the cruise air is to put as many passengers onto the same flight as possible...Say a cruise leaves out of Barcelona...rather than have hundreds of people flying out of different cities and connecting through different cities...and all arriving at the airport at different terminals at different times...they will find a flight, typically through somewhere like JFK which goes from there to Barcelona...They will then book everyone on flights that connect through JFK onto this flight...

 

The reasons should be fairly apparent...Rather than send a steady stream of cars, vans and buses to the airport to pick up individual travelers, they can send a bus or two or whatever they need to the airport once and have one cruise representative at the airport to meet and direct everyone to those buses...

 

When you are in this situation, if THAT particular flight is late (and let's say late within reason...like the delay will only cost the ship an hour or two of time...or the next port is not really a full night's voyage away), then the ship will wait...because it's far easier than arranging seperate transportation for hundreds of people to the next port...

 

I have actually been on a ship that did exactly that...Supposed to sail at 5:00, sailed at about 7:00 instead...with a lot of passengers looking somewhat flustered and arriving late to first night dinner telling about how they JUST got in from the airport...

 

So, yes, it does happen...

 

And, following through on cruise air logic, that is also why sometimes you get that odd plane change at JFK going to , say, London when you know danged well that there are nonstops to London from LAX (or wherever YOU live)...

[EggDropErin]

We always book our own. We have found much better deals that way.

[0ldog]

Trust me, no matter if you book on your own or thru the cruise line, they will not hold the ship if your flight is delayed......I know thru experience.

 

We sailed Celebrity (part of RCCL) last Feb. and they held departure for a number of people that had flights delayed because of bad weather, including us.

[candhmama]

We have done it both ways. For our first 2 cruises we booked through the cruise line, in fact the 1st cruise the airfare was included in the price (although if you did cruise only they took some off the cost) The second one we were leaving out of Miami and we live on the west coast so they included hotel for the night in Miami too. The third cruise my dh booked as a surprise and he felt he could do better on his own (I think I would have tried to persuade him otherwise but it worked out). We are going on a cruise in Jan/Feb. and we booked our own because we have enough frequent flier miles but we are going a day early and staying the night in San Juan. So I agree with most people that it is best to do your research and see what works out best each time.

[IBookHePays]

... and wake up to the sight of the ship waiting for us in port.

 

Bev

 

That is absolutely the best!!!!:D

[Firepuppy1]

It is almost always cheaper to book your own plus you have better control. We like many others who answered you go 1 day ahead. This gets us on the ship way before all of the cruie fare chuttles get there, loooooong lines.:D

[zuscruiserz]

It is almost always cheaper to book your own plus you have better control. We like many others who answered you go 1 day ahead. This gets us on the ship way before all of the cruie fare chuttles get there, loooooong lines.:D

 

It may or may not be cheaper to book your own flight, but you won't necessarily get there before those that have booked cruise air. We are arriving 2 days prior to the cruise via RCI's air deviation (free since I am platinum), and will take the first shuttle (or cab, if taking too long) to the terminal approx. 11:00 a.m. We were one of the first to arrive for our Navigator cruise a couple of years ago when we also had cruise air :) .

[zuscruiserz]

dup post?!?

[gbgalnow]

We recently just returned from our first cruise. Not knowing how to go about anything, we used a TA locally. When pricing out our cruise, she broke down the fees, air, ship, etc. She has cruised many times before and has said that it was always cheaper to book the air separate from the cruiseline. Initially, we booked our cruise with the air, then I went on some airlines and checked for cheaper airfare. When I found a flight cheaper than what the cruiseline was giving us, we cancelled the air through the cruise and just booked transfers from the airport instead. Turned out, the air I booked separately, was the EXACT same flight that the cruiseline had us on....we got it for $500 cheaper for the both of us. Take off the $25 tranfers we paid and we saved $450!!!! We flew in the day the boat was leaving and flew out the day the boat docked back in Miami!!

 

We are very happy with our TA for telling us this! This afforded us the luxury of some other excursions and things on the boat!!!

 

HTH!!! Happy Cruising!!